Methods and systems for allowing third party client applications to influence implementation of high-level document commands

ABSTRACT

A mechanism is described for allowing third party client applications to affect how high-level document commands are implemented in a database. After a high-level document command meeting certain criteria is received in a database management system, the system identifies one or more third party client application that are to be notified when such high-level document commands are received. The client applications are then notified allowing the client application to return implementation instructions which are used by the database management system in determining how to implement the high-level document command. The instruction may be to prevent implementation altogether, to somehow change the implementation, or even to perform high-level document commands in addition to the original high-level document command.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/680,118, filed Oct. 4, 2000, and entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FORALLOWING THIRD PARTY CLIENT APPLICATIONS TO INFLUENCE IMPLEMENTATION OFHIGH-LEVEL DOCUMENT COMMANDS” and which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of database managementsystems. In particular, the present invention relates to methods andsystems for allowing third party client applications to have influenceon how high-level document commands are implemented in a database.

2. The Prior State of the Art

With the development of computer networks and the Internet, anyone whohas access to an Internet capable computer may access information fromall over the world. The present era has even been termed the“information age” due to the widespread abundance of information.Although this abundance of information is useful, individuals may easilybe overwhelmed with information to the point where it is difficult tofilter out relevant information from irrelevant information.

Database management systems are systems that manage collections of data(i.e., databases) so as to allow individuals, devices and applicationsto easily access, manage, and update information. Thus, databasemanagement systems provide a significant contribution to the informationage by allowing for the efficient use of information.

Conventional database management systems such as the database managementsystem 100 shown in FIG. 1 include an underlying database 110 thatcontains organized data in the form of a number of tables such as table“A”, table “B”, table “C” and table “D”. Each table contains entriesthat associate documents with property of the documents. For example,one table may contain a count of the number of files within givenfolders, another may list the memory size of given files, yet anothermay list other properties associated with given files, or folders. Foreach document, there is typically more than one table that mayassociated with the document by, for example, describing properties ofthe document.

A document (e.g., document 1, 2, 3 and 4 in FIG. 1) is an identifiableentity from the viewpoint of applications that use the databasemanagement system. For example, a folder or an item such as anelectronic mail message within the folder may be considered to be adocument since they are identified as entities from the viewpoint of theapplication that uses the database management system. For example, inthe context of electronic messaging, an application may present folderssuch as “in-boxes” and “out-boxes” to a user with correspondingelectronic mail messages in the folders. These folders and electronicmail messages are “documents” from the viewpoint of the application.Similarly, files and directories within a file system may also bedocuments from the viewpoint of the application that uses the databasemanagement system. The tables within the underlying database are notconsidered to be documents since they are identified internal to thedatabase management system, and not at the higher level of theapplication that uses the database management system.

The database application 120 generates high-level document commands(e.g., high-level command 121) that relate to operations to be performedon a document. Examples of such document commands might includeoperations such as, for example, move folder, move message, deletemessage, copy folder, copy file, and so forth.

Each of these high-level document commands is received by the databaseengine 130 which implements the high-level document commands byexecuting a number of table level commands that result in databasetables being updated. Typically, the database engine would use the diskaccess module 140 of an operating system to produce the physical controlsignals necessary to read and write the appropriate sectors in the disk,each table comprising one or more possibly discontiguous sectors on thedisk.

Once the high-level document command is implemented, the databasemanagement system may notify other client applications usingnotification module 150 that the high-level document command wasimplemented. Then, the other client applications may perform a varietyof processes in response to that notification. For example, if a newelectronic mail messages is added into a public folder, the other clientapplications that have subscribed to that public folder may receivenotification of the new electronic mail message so that they can updatethere local database to reflect the change, or perhaps refresh thescreen if it is currently displaying the contents of the public folder.

In the conventional method, the notification is only dispatched afterthe high-level document command is implemented. There is nothing theclient application can do to affect how the high-level document commandis implemented, what additional actions are to be taken in the databaseat the same time the high-level document command is implemented, orwhether the high-level document command is to be implemented at all.Therefore, what are desired are methods and systems for allowing moreflexibility for a third party client application to affect how ahigh-level document command is implemented in a database.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principles of the present invention provide for a way for thirdparty client applications to influence how a high-level document commandis implemented by a database management system. The database managementsystem is issued a number of high level-document commands which areintended to be implemented in the underlying database. Such high-leveldocument commands include high-level commands that relate to actions tobe taken on documents such as folders, files, messages and otherentities that are identified at the level of the application that usesthe database management system. For example, in electronic messagingapplications, one high-level document command may be to add a mailmessage to a folder.

Unlike conventional database management systems, however, the databasemanagement system in accordance with the invention temporarily foregoesimplementing the high-level document command in the database. Instead,the database management system identifies any third party clientapplications that are to be notified when the high-level documentcommand is received. Then, the database management system dispatches anotification. The client application is thus made aware of thenotification so that the client application may return backimplementation instructions on how to implement the high-level documentcommand. The database management system receives the implementationinstructions and follows the instructions in implementing the high-leveldocument command.

For example, the instruction may be for preventing the implementation ofthe high-level document command altogether. The instruction may also beto change how the high-level document command is implemented. Theinstruction may even be for implementing one or more high-level documentcommands in addition to the received high-level document command. Thus,the notified third party client application is given extensive controlover how the high-level document command is implemented.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. Thefeatures and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained bymeans of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out inthe appended claims. These and other features of the present inventionwill become more fully apparent from the following description andappended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention asset forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the invention briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not thereforeto be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will bedescribed and explained with additional specificity and detail throughthe use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a hierarchical view of a database management systemin accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system that provides a suitableoperating environment for the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a hierarchical view of a database management systemin accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for allowing a third partyclient application to influence how a high-level document command isimplemented in the database of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention extends to both methods and systems for allowing athird party client application to influence how a high-level documentcommand is implemented in a database. Appropriate third party clientapplications are notified when particular high-level document commandsare received in the database management system. However, beforeimplementing the high-level document command in the database, thedatabase management system awaits for any instructions from theappropriate third party application on how the high-level documentcommand is to be implemented.

If there are no such intervening instructions, the high-level documentcommand is implemented in the database. If there are such interveninginstructions, these intervening instructions from the third party clientapplications are considered in how the high-level document command isimplemented. For example, the intervening instruction may be to preventthe implementation of the high-level document command entirely. It mayalso be to alter the way that the high-level document command isimplemented. A third party client application may also have the databasemanagement system perform high-level document commands in addition tothe original high-level document command. When performing additionalhigh-level operations, all of the high-level operations may be performedatomically in a single group operation so that either all of thehigh-level operations in the group operation are performed, or none areperformed at all.

The embodiments of the present invention may comprise a special purposeor general purpose computer including various computer hardware, asdiscussed in greater detail below. Embodiments within the scope of thepresent invention also include computer-readable media for carrying orhaving computer-executable instructions or data structures storedthereon. Such computer-readable media can be any available media whichcan be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By wayof example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media cancomprise physical storage media such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM orother optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or storedesired program code means in the form of computer-executableinstructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a generalpurpose or special purpose computer.

When information is transferred or provided over a network or anothercommunications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combinationof hardwired or wireless) to a computer, the computer properly views theconnection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such a connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions.

FIG. 2 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment in which theinvention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention willbe described in the general context of computer-executable instructions,such as program modules, being executed by computers in networkenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executableinstructions, associated data structures, and program modules representexamples of the program code means for executing steps of the methodsdisclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executableinstructions or associated data structures represent examples ofcorresponding acts for implementing the functions described in suchsteps.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in network computing environments with many types of computersystem configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and thelike. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by local and remote processingdevices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, orby a combination of hardwired or wireless links) through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary system for implementing theinvention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of aconventional computer 220, including a processing unit 221, a systemmemory 222, and a system bus 223 that couples various system componentsincluding the system memory 222 to the processing unit 221. The systembus 223 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memorybus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any ofa variety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read onlymemory (ROM) 224 and random access memory (RAM) 225. A basicinput/output system (BIOS) 226, containing the basic routines that helptransfer information between elements within the computer 220, such asduring start-up, may be stored in ROM 224.

The computer 220 may also include a magnetic hard disk drive 227 forreading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk 239, a magnetic diskdrive 228 for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk 229,and an optical disk drive 230 for reading from or writing to removableoptical disk 231 such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. The magnetichard disk drive 227, magnetic disk drive 228, and optical disk drive 230are connected to the system bus 223 by a hard disk drive interface 232,a magnetic disk drive interface 233, and an optical drive interface 234,respectively. The drives and their associated computer-readable mediaprovide nonvolatile storage of computer-executable instructions, datastructures, program modules and other data for the computer 220.Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a magnetichard disk 239, a removable magnetic disk 229 and a removable opticaldisk 231, other types of computer readable media for storing data can beused, including magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital videodisks, Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, and the like.

Program code means comprising one or more program modules may be storedon the hard disk 239, magnetic disk 229, optical disk 231, ROM 224 orRAM 225, including an operating system 235, one or more applicationprograms 236, other program modules 237, and program data 238. A usermay enter commands and information into the computer 220 throughkeyboard 240, pointing device 242, or other input devices (not shown),such as a microphone, joy stick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, orthe like. These and other input devices are often connected to theprocessing unit 221 through a serial port interface 246 coupled tosystem bus 223. Alternatively, the input devices may be connected byother interfaces, such as a parallel port, a game port or a universalserial bus (USB). A monitor 247 or another display device is alsoconnected to system bus 223 via an interface, such as video adapter 248.In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include otherperipheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers.

The computer 220 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computers249 a and 249 b. Remote computers 249 a and 249 b may each be anotherpersonal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device orother common network node, and typically include many or all of theelements described above relative to the computer 220, although onlymemory storage devices 250 a and 250 b and their associated applicationprograms 236 a and 236 b have been illustrated in FIG. 2. The logicalconnections depicted in FIG. 2 include a local area network (LAN) 251and a wide area network (WAN) 252 that are presented here by way ofexample and not limitation. Such networking environments are commonplacein office-wide or enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and theInternet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 220 is connectedto the local network 251 through a network interface or adapter 253.When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 220 may includea modem 254, a wireless link, or other means for establishingcommunications over the wide area network 252, such as the Internet. Themodem 254, which may be internal or external, is connected to the systembus 223 via the serial port interface 246. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 220, or portionsthereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and othermeans of establishing communications over wide area network 252 may beused.

FIG. 3 illustrates a database management system 300 in accordance withthe present invention. Although, not required, the database managementsystem 300 may be implemented in the computing environment shown in FIG.2. The database application 320 issues high-level document commands suchas command 321. The document command may be, for example, to move,update, copy, add, or delete the document. For each high-level documentcommand, the database management system 300 notifies, via notificationmodule 350, the appropriate client applications(s).

However, in contrast to the prior art database management system, thedatabase management system 300 includes a means for allowing one or moreclient applications to affect how the received high-level document is tobe implemented, if at all, in the database. This means is illustrates inFIG. 3 as the instruction receiver module 360 which may be implementedby software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Theinstruction receiver module may be implemented separately or perhaps bythe database engine 330, the database application 320, another componentof the database management system, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 for allowing third partyapplications to influence the implementation of a high-level documentcommands in a database. Acts implemented by the database managementsystem are listed under the column entitled “DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM”while those act performed by the client application are listed under thecolumn entitled “CLIENT APPLICATION.”

The method is initiated by the database management system receiving ahigh-level document command (act 401). The command is high-level in thesense that the command is for an operation to be performed on adocument. The document is an entity such as an electronic mail messageor a folder, which is identifiable at the high-level of the clientapplication that is using the database management system. Suchhigh-level applications typically have no knowledge of the tables in thedatabase or how such tables would be altered to implement the high-leveldocument command. Thus, tables in databases are not considered to be“documents” in this description and in the claims.

After the database management system receives the high-level command,but before implementing the high-level command, the database managementsystem allows third party client applications to affect how thehigh-level document command is implemented in the database. Accordingly,embodiments within the scope of the present invention include thedatabase management system implementing a step for allowing one or moreclient applications to affect how the high-level document command isimplemented, if at all (step 402). In the example shown in FIG. 4, thisstep includes acts 403, 404, 407 and 408.

For the received high-level document command, the database managementsystem identifies any client applications that are to be notified whenthe database management system receives the high-level document command(act 403). These client applications may be identified by being clientapplications that are notified by default when the database managementsystem receives a high-level document command meeting specifiedcriteria. Alternatively or in addition, client applications may beidentified by having a subscription for notifications to occur when thedatabase management system receives high-level document commands meetingspecified criteria.

Once identified, the client applications are notified of the receipt ofthe high-level document command (act 404). This may be performed viamessaging over a network if the database management system and theclient application are located on different machines. Also, this may beperformed by the notification being passed through a function call aswhen the database management system and the client application arelocated on the same machine.

The client application then receives the notification (act 405) and thendispatches instructions back to the database management system (act 406)on how to implement the high-level document command. For example, theclient application may instruct the prevention of the implementationaltogether, or perhaps how the high-level document command isimplemented, or perhaps even what additional high-level documentcommands are to perform in addition to the received high-level documentcommand. The database management system then receives theseimplementation instructions (act 407) and then follows the instructionswhen actually implementing the high-level document command (act 408).

The implementation instruction may be prevented from being implementedaltogether if so instructed. For example, suppose that a clientapplication is to be notified when a high-level document command isreceived that is for adding a new electronic mail message into anelectronic inbox, the electronic mail message containing certainoffensive words. Now suppose that such a high-level document command is,in fact, received at the database management system. The clientapplication will thus be notified. The client application may dispatchinstructions to prevent the high-level document command from beingimplemented at all. The user may have configured the client applicationto so instruct the database management system to prevent implementationin this case so as to avoid having to encounter offensive words.

The implementation instruction may be for changing the way that thehigh-level document command is implemented. For example, instead ofpreventing the addition of electronic mail messages that contain certainoffensive words, the user may have configured the client application toinstruct the database management system to type over the offensive wordswith random alphanumeric text before adding the electronic mail messageinto the inbox.

The implementation instruction may also be to perform one or morehigh-level document commands in addition to the received high-leveldocument command. For example, the user may configure the clientapplication to instruct the database management system so that anyelectronic mail message being marked as “urgent” are not only added tothe user's inbox, but also are copied to the in-box of the user's staff,and the in-box of the user's supervisor as well.

When performing additional high-level document commands over and abovethe received high-level document commands, the document commands may beimplemented as a “group operation” in which all of the document commandsare implemented in a single transaction, all of the high-level documentcommand being implemented, or none at all. Group operations aredescribed in co-pending United States application serial number [NOT YETASSIGNED—ATTORNEY DOCKET NUMBER 13768.171], filed on the same dateherewith, and entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PERFORMING HIGH-LEVELGROUP OPERATIONS IN A DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM”, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

As described above, the principles of the present invention allow forthird party client applications to influence how a high-level documentcommand is to be implemented. This give more control to clientapplications that desire to tailor how certain high-level documentcommands are to be implemented.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A computer program product for use in a database management systemwhich includes a database engine which accesses and updates objects in adatabase, the database engine receiving high-level document commands,each high-level document command for performing an operation on adocument associated with a plurality of tables in the database, thecomputer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable mediahaving computer-executable instructions for implementing a method forallowing client applications to control how a particular high-leveldocument command is implemented in the database, and wherein the methodcomprises: an act of receiving a single high-level document commandmeeting certain criteria the single high-level document commandincluding one or more operations to be performed on a documentcomprising one of an e-mail document and a folder having an e-maildocument, resulting in a number of table level commands being executedand resulting in one or more database tables being updated; and a stepfor allowing one or more client applications to determine whether thereceived single high-level document command is to be implemented and toaffect how the received single high-level document command is to beimplemented in the database, the step for allowing one or more clientapplications to affect how the single high-level document command is tobe implemented, including: an act of identifying one or more clientapplications to be notified of the receipt of high-level documentcommands meeting certain criteria, wherein identifying the one or moreclient applications to be notified of the receipt of high-level documentcommands includes having the one or more client applications subscribefor notifications of the receipt of high-level document commands meetingthe certain criteria, and an act of notifying the one or more identifiedclient applications a high-level document command meeting the certaincriteria has been received prior to implementing the single high-leveldocument command and solely in response to receiving the singlehigh-level document command.
 2. The computer program product inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the step for allowing one or moreclient applications to affect how the single high-level document commandis to be implemented further includes: an act of receiving instructionsfrom the one or more client applications on how to affect theimplementation of the single high-level document command in thedatabase; and an act of altering one or more operations included in thesingle high-level document command according to the receivedinstructions when implementing the high-level document command.